To many North American MMA fans, Maiquel Falcao (27-3) came out of nowhere, notched a bizarre victory over Gerald Harris at UFC 123 and then promptly disappeared from the national scene.

But after dealing with a few legal challenges in his native country, Falcao has since returned to terrorizing opponents on the Brazilian regional scene and now eyes a return to the U.S. to fight again in front of the fans he says have helped him remain motivated through troubled times.

“My plan is to keep on fighting and winning,” Falcao told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) in his native Portuguese. “I hope to fight in the U.S. again soon. The American fans send me hundreds of messages every day, and they show me much affection. I’d like to return the love.”

Falcao’s recent struggles began in his November 2010 bout with Harris. “Big Rig” looked crisp early but then seemed to hold on to a rear-naked choke a few seconds after the bell to end the opening round. Falcao resumed the attack in the second and appeared well on his way to an impressive win before taking part in a head-scratching third frame in which neither fighter seemed inclined to initiate the action.

The pair was showered with boos to close the fight, but Falcao blames the odd final round on a broken hand and sticking to a counterstriking game plan.

“I couldn’t move my hand at that moment because it was broken in three places,” Falcao said. “I broke my hand during the first round, which later required me to undergo surgery and sit idle for four months. Besides, I had already massacred him during the first and second rounds.

“I thought he’d go for broke in the third. I was waiting for this, so I could have the chance to finish him, but he never came to me. It was his error.”

Shortly after the event, UFC brass cut Harris from the promotion’s roster. Despite the odd contest, which also caused some to criticize the Brazilian for his lack of intensity, Falcao insists he bears no ill will toward his former opponent.

“The UFC is a great promotion, and they know what they’re doing,” Falcao said. “Gerald is a great athlete and will continue having success.”

Falcao was then expected to face “Filthy” Tom Lawlor at August’s UFC 134 event in Rio de Janeiro. However, in a shocking turn of events, Falcao was unceremoniously dropped by the UFC this past May.

“When they let Maiquel go, (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva simply sent an e-mail stating that unfortunately he’d have to close Maiquel’s contract due to legal problems in which he was involved,” Falcao’s manager Marcelo Brigadeiro told MMAjunkie.com.

The apparent genesis of the problem was a December 2010 report from Brazilian outlet “Diario Popular,” which detailed how Falcao was detained and questioned for a parole violation related to charges brought forth from a 2002 altercation.

But some Falcao critics don’t see it quite so simply. They point to a 2007 win over Leandro Gordo – in which Falcao had to be pried off his opponent by the referee and several others in attendance – as an example of what “Big Rig” is capable of when tempers flare.

Falcao admits he acted inappropriately in that post-fight meltdown but said there was much more going on behind the scenes of that matchup than most people know.

“Before the fight, he went on different radio shows to badmouth me and my family,” Falcao said. “He does this to intimidate his opponents, and with me he did it way more than usual. Before the fight, he scaled the wall of my home, stole my fight shorts and showed up wearing them on fight day. On top of that, he sent people to my home to threaten me. This made me lose my head.”

Nevertheless, Falcao realizes the incident was an unfortunate mistake and vows that those troubled days are behind him. The in-cage blow-ups, the unfortunate legal issues, it’s all behind him now, and Falcao wants to focus on his future.

“Today, I’m a person who’s learned from his own errors,” Falcao said. “I believe firmly in God and that we’re are in this life to learn. Today, I’m a much better person, and I continue to evolve. My inspirations are my wife, my daughters and one person I admire very much, my manager.”

Falcao, a native and current resident of the city of Pelotas, near the southern tip of Brazil, has already returned to action in the cage, needing just 28 seconds to dispatch of Julio Cesar Bilik via TKO at a July’s Centurion Mixed Martial Arts 2 event in Itajai, Brazil. He’s now scheduled to face Antonio Braga Neto on Sept. 14 at Amazon Forest Combat in Manaus, Brazil. The event, also featuring the likes of Royler Gracie, Paulo Filho, Ronys Torres, Masakatsu Ueda and Satoshi Ishii, airs in Brazil on the Rede Record TV network.

Falcao, who currently trains with the Renovacao Fight Team, carries a nine-fight win streak into the matchup, and he’s hopeful that with a few more wins in his native land – and with his name finally cleared from that 2002 incident – he’ll make a successful return to fighting in the U.S.

“I thank everyone who roots for me,” Falcao said. “You can be sure I’m in the best physical and technical condition of my life, and at the moment, I continue to evolve. You’ll see an even better Maiquel Falcao next time.”

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